Cigarette sales in the US rose in the pandemic

Over 2 million teens vape 1:12

(CNN) -

We all had to find our own ways to cope with the pandemic lockdowns of the past year.

Some people bought home exercise items like Peloton bikes and baked bread.

Others took a slightly less healthy route.

Cigarette sales in the United States increased last year for the first time in two decades, according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission.

It was just a slight increase of 0.4% - the total number of cigarettes sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased by roughly 8 million, from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020.

But it marks an unexpected change in the downward trend that has been going on for years.

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Adult smoking rates in the US have been falling since 2000 and now stand at about 14%, according to the North American Quitline Association, a nonprofit that promotes smoking cessation services.

The group credits that steady decline to tobacco taxes and smoke-free air laws, as well as the increasing use of programs like smoking cessation phone lines.

But during the pandemic, fewer smokers took advantage of those services, the group said in a report earlier this year, citing "stress and anxiety resulting from the pandemic."

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The FTC report did not detail why sales rose bit by bit, but the increase follows similar shifts in consumer behavior brought on by the pandemic.

Retail sales of alcohol, for example, soared in the spring of 2020 not only because bars and restaurants closed, but because consumers were drinking more.

The overall frequency of alcohol use increased by about 14% from 2019 to 2020, the researchers reported last year in the JAMA Network Open magazine.

Experts say that increased isolation, stress, and uncertainty created a perfect storm for substance use disorders.

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The impact of e-cigarettes 1:11

Altria, which makes Marlboro cigarettes, noted in a recent earnings call that in the 2020 lockdowns, Americans "added moments of nicotine use to their day-to-day lives."

Smokers are also turning to traditional cigarettes from vaping devices in response to restrictions on e-cigarette flavors, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Altria shares are up 16% so far this year.

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